Sentry Investment Management LLC Lowers Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Sentry Investment Management LLC cut its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 32.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,788 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 5,692 shares during the period. Walmart comprises 0.8% of Sentry Investment Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,213,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.4% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 431,817,510 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $42,223,116,000 after buying an additional 5,856,468 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 94,557,532 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $9,199,712,000 after acquiring an additional 263,718 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 2nd quarter worth $5,367,770,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 31,973,329 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,126,775,000 after purchasing an additional 1,098,342 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 23.5% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 19,493,644 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,902,775,000 after purchasing an additional 3,710,506 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock opened at $127.93 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $79.81 and a 12-month high of $129.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $116.03 and a 200-day moving average price of $106.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.02 trillion, a PE ratio of 44.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.65.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $179.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $175.15 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.26% and a return on equity of 21.31%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.58 EPS. Walmart has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $130.00 price objective (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, December 19th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $119.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $128.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Thirty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $124.19.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart joined the trillion?dollar market?cap club, a symbolic re?rating that reflects investor confidence in its omnichannel strategy, technology investments and higher?margin services. Walmart Just Became the Newest Member of the Trillion-Dollar Club
• Positive Sentiment: Analyses and think?pieces (Yahoo/Finbold/Zacks coverage) are spotlighting Walmart’s mix shift toward memberships, ads and digital fulfillment as reasons the rally can continue, supporting multiple expansion. Is Walmart Stock a Buy at $1 Trillion?
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying: Alecta Pensionsforsakring reported boosting its stake in Walmart, which signals confidence from a large investor. Institutional inflows and ETF rebalances tied to the market?cap milestone can provide further demand. Alecta Pensionsforsakring boosts stake in Walmart
• Positive Sentiment: Store expansion and vendor rollouts continue (new Next?Gen Supercenter openings and national product placements), supporting same?store sales and omni fulfillment capacity. These are steady operational tailwinds. Walmart Opens Next Generation Supercenter in Jacksonville
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage is broadly positive but consensus price targets sit near current levels; continued upside depends more on execution (membership/ads/margin mix) than multiple expansion alone. WMT Joins the $1 Trillion Club
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: EVP Donna Morris disclosed large sales (76,181 shares at ~ $123.79; other filings note ~$2.45M transactions), which can introduce short?term selling pressure or be read as executives taking gains. Watch for follow?up filings or patterns. Donna Morris sells 76,181 shares EVP Sells $2,445,400 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and competition risks: Walmart now trades at elevated multiples; Amazon’s push into fast grocery/delivery and commentary that staples stocks may be frothy increase downside risk if execution or margins slip. Amazon intensifies physical grocery push Staples stocks may look frothy (Barron’s)

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Donna Morris sold 76,181 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.79, for a total transaction of $9,430,445.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 402,072 shares in the company, valued at $49,772,492.88. The trade was a 15.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.27, for a total value of $2,445,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 506,764 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,962,034.28. The trade was a 3.80% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 229,196 shares of company stock worth $26,957,858 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Profile

Walmart is a multinational retail corporation that operates a broad portfolio of store formats and digital services. Its core business includes large-format supercenters, discount department stores, neighborhood grocery stores and a membership warehouse chain, Sam’s Club. The company’s merchandising mix covers groceries, household goods, apparel, electronics and pharmacy services, supplemented by private-label products and category-specific offerings. Walmart pairs its physical store network with online platforms and mobile applications to provide omnichannel shopping, fulfillment and delivery options for consumers and businesses.

The company was founded by Sam Walton, who opened the first store in Rogers, Arkansas in 1962; it is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas.